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Parks and Recreation

Camping

Season 3, Episode 8, Aired Mar 24, 2011

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6.6

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Chris returns to Pawnee with a new job while Leslie takes the Parks crew camping to brainstorm. Elsewhere, Andy has plans for April.

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Cast & Crew

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Retta

Donna Meagle
Rashida Jones

Ann Perkins
Nick Offerman

Ron Swanson
Jim O'Heir

Jerry Gergich
Rob Lowe

Chris Traeger
Amy Poehler

Leslie Knope

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Fan Episode Reviews (4)

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Everyone Goes Camping

7.5

"Good"

By Lostindharma, May 07, 2012

How do you follow up a episode that could have been better? Have one that is not disappointing. Was this bad? No. This was the second part of the season. It didn't get off at the right point. Something didn't flow with this episode. There were still some good parts. Jerry was great in this episode. From his idea that he told Ron while fishing to his delight in the Quiet Corn. Leslie probably one of the best lines I heard from her. ("That is the second weirdest way a man has grabbed my breast.) Only Parks and Rec could make a Heart Attack funny. Andy was also good. I loved how he tried and failed for April and April didn't fault him for it. My biggest complaint was Leslie. I don't like saying that. She is a great actor, one of my favorites. She just sets the bar so high. Not everyone can deliver every time, even Amy Poehler.moreless
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308

8.3

"Great"

By Canogaparkcindy, Apr 19, 2011

Sad to see the low ratings on this website, but I think all of Parks & Rec fans truly know that this show is superb, and that's exactly why it's already been renewed for a fourth season. Haters can hate, but this IS a good show.

I was watching this episode with a friend, this was his first time watching. He was a bit skeptical because of The Office similarities, but as he watched, he laughed all the way through. I just think there are some really narrow-minded people out there who wont give this show a chance, and I just feel sorry for them in a way.

We got fantastic interactions between all the characters, Aziz Anzari actually made me laugh the most tonight, as did Adam Scott which usually isn't the case but they really shined here. The Ann & Chris thing is getting tired though, just get them together or break them up, just pick one and live with it. Overall, this was a great installment though (as usual).moreless
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A few episodes of this show have been really funny....

7.0

"Good"

By DebraMcClure, Mar 30, 2011

This one didn't have too many funny moments - just a few. It was good to see Rob Lowe again; he is good when being self-deprecating; he knows the character he plays is a jerk, but he makes you think he doesn't. The set-up the Indian employee (I forget his name) brought to the campground provided some funny moments - particularly when it became clear he had drained the necessary electricity to jump-start the car. I have to state here that it amazes me how a mediocre sit-com can be renewed and most dramas (particularly at NBC) - get canceled after one or sometimes a half a season. It makes you wonder about the American TV viewing public.moreless
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Leslie takes the entire department camping to come up with an idea.

8.7

"Great"

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Mar 30, 2011

The sophomore slump is one of those things nobody wants to experience.. you come up with a good idea, you make a good song or CD or movie, and the last thing you want is to release something that doesn't come anywhere near exceeding people's expectations. "Camping" is an episode that looks at this idea as Leslie tries not to buckle under the pressure thrown on her, but the episode also succeeds by having one of the best casts on TV and by further expanding the insane town of Pawnee.

Re-watching the episode, there's just so much to love about EVERY single actor and actress on this show. Even the characters I may have once been hesitant about (Donna and Ann jump to mind, mostly because they haven't been given as much to do), but it's clear after this episode that the show has carved out a niche for them. Donna is a sassy woman with a quick wit and a love for soap operas and drama, while Ann seems doomed to never finding love and making a goofball out of herself because of it. And that's not even mentioning how great Adam Scott and Rob Lowe have meshed with everybody.

In this episode, we get Leslie being her usual neurotic self, and while it may seem like "been there, done that" material for the show, there's something satisfying about watching Leslie calm down for a few moments and taking a deep breath and about Ron freakin' Swanson letting his tough exterior down and being an advice giver. We get both of these things, and some hilarious lines from both characters in the midst ("It's like yoga.. except I get to kill something at the end.")

Then we get Andy and April, who spent all of Season 2 in a Jim and Pam like situation, and luckily, the show didn't make us wait forever to get them together.. but just like "The Office," the question is this: how do you take a situation like that and keep it interesting. Do you keep them together and struggle to find ways to keep them interesting a la The Office, or do you keep them apart and together, back and forth, like Friends? It seems like there's no good way to go, but I have confidence that this show will make it work. So far, I love the way we're given all these hints that Andy and April won't be able to work stuff out, mostly because Andy is such a klutz (watching him get lost, "fight squirrels," climb through briar patches and get all his balloons for April popped and all kind of other stuff was great). But he's a romantic at heart and clearly likes April. Even loves her.

There was just great stuff here. I wouldn't call it on the same level as some of the previous episodes this season, but it had the return of DJ Roomba, a creepy old lady who has a bunch of cats, german muffins and Ben and Tom bonding time (oh yeah, and some weird Jerry moments). I wouldn't ask for anything more.moreless
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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (4)
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- Leslie: That is the second weirdest way a man has grabbed my breast.
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- Ben: Wow, the sky is really beautiful.
  Leslie: It's pollution from the Sweetums factory. It's gorgeous, but is it worth the asthma?
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- Leslie: I'm so desperate, I even brought my dream journal hoping it would inspire me.
  Ann: (reading) "I married Alf and we're pretty happy." Sounds nice.
  Leslie: It was.
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- Chris: It's so good to run into you. We should get together soon and catch up.
  Ann: Me too. Ketchup and mustard. (pause) Ketchup and mustard. I was just...
  Chris: Oh! (laughs) You're so delightful! I relish your wit.
  Ann: (laughs) Well, I salsa...your face.
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